A quantitative philology of introspection

Area of Science:

• * Cultural evolution
• * Cognitive science
• * Digital humanities

Background:

• * The Axial Age (mid-first millennium BC) marked a significant shift in introspective thought, coinciding with the rise of major religions and philosophies.
• * The transition from orality to literacy during this period led to hypotheses linking increased introspection with written language.
• * Understanding the historical trajectory of introspection is crucial for comprehending human cognitive and cultural development.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To quantitatively examine the evolution of introspection in the cultural records of the Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian traditions during the Axial Age.
• * To investigate the relationship between introspection, literacy, and societal factors.
• * To establish a metric for quantifying the historical development of abstract concepts like introspection.

Main Methods:

• * Analysis of the Old and New Testaments and Greco-Roman literary traditions using statistical measures of semantic similarity.
• * Quantitative analysis of 20th-century cultural records to track introspective themes.
• * Employing a novel quantitative philology approach to trace conceptual evolution.

Main Results:

• * A linear progression of introspection (an "arrow of time") was identified in the Judeo-Christian tradition (Bible).
• * The Greco-Roman tradition exhibited complex, non-monotonic dynamics in introspection, reflecting societal changes.
• * 20th-century data showed a general increase in introspection, with notable decreases around World Wars I and II.

Conclusions:

• * A consistent metric for quantifying the history of abstract concepts like introspection is feasible, paving the way for quantitative philology.
• * While the Axial Age fostered greater self-reflection, its persistence and evolution are significantly influenced by societal contingencies beyond the orality-literacy dichotomy.
• * The study highlights the dynamic interplay between cultural shifts, societal events, and the evolution of human introspection.